Paint a scene entirely of pine trees for practice.
Landscape painting is a skill that is difficult to master. It takes practice to paint realistic scenes and some people may get discouraged before they get better. Using the right tools will help you excel more quickly. Pine trees have a specific texture that you can mimic with certain brushes. Experiment with different strokes and paint applications for a realistic looking pine tree.
Trunk and Branches
Although parts of the trunk and branches are often hidden by needles, paint the trunk first. This will establish structure to your pine tree. Choose a soft brush, such as sable, squirrel or camel. Paint the outline of the trunk and branches in a dark brown or blue with a size 0 round. Round brushes have a round profile and are ideal for detailed painting. Switch to a larger size brush to fill in the outline, depending on the size of your painting. Load a soft short flat, also called a bright, with a couple different browns and apply to the trunk with shorts strokes to imitate the texture of the trunk. Bright brushes have a flat profile and square bristles that are cut short.
Lush Pine Trees
Look at the overall shape of pine trees that are loaded with needles. You will want to paint the general forms of the tree instead of each individual needle. Start with a soft, large brush in a filbert shape. A filbert brush has a flat profile that is cut with rounded edges. This allows you to fill in large areas without sharp, defined edges. Paint the dark areas you see, wash your brush and paint the lighter areas. Then go in with a small round brush and add short strokes of different colors to the area to imitate the pine needles.
Sparse Pine Trees
When painting pine trees with sparse needles, concentrate on painting the trunk and branches as detailed as possible. Then grab a hard fan brush, such as a bristle or ox. Hard brushes do not allow the paint to flow like soft brushes, leaving a coarse texture. Fan brushes have a flat profile with the top of the bristles spread out to resemble a fan. Lightly dip the fan brush into paint so there is a just a little on the end and drag it across the branches of the tree. The bristles of the fan brush will separate, resembling pine needles.
Alternative Techniques
You can make your pine trees look more or less realistic by trying different brushes. Use a small, soft round to create a highly realistic tree. Use short strokes to paint ever needle on the tree. Remember to vary the colors between the needles and focus on areas of shadow and light. This technique will take longer and is more difficult to master. For a less realistic impression of a tree, paint with a palette knife. Add paint to the knife by scraping it across your palette, then scrape the paint on to the canvas. You can use the sharp edge of the knife to scratch into the paint to emulate needles.
